Improvement in upright-piano-forte actions



2 Sheets---SheeJ 1.

G. W. NEILL. Uprght`Pano-Forte Action. No. 223,060. Patented Dec.30.1879.

NV PETERS PMoYnJxYHnsRAPHEN, WASHINGTON, D C

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. W. NEILL. Upright Piano-Forte Action.

No. 223,060. Patented Dec. 30,1879.

Ina/ente r. OV/gi? y.PETEWS, PHOTO-LITHUGRAPNER. wAsNrNGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

GEORGE W. NEILL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN UPRIGHT-PIANO-FORTE ACTIONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent NO. 223,060, dated December.-lO, 1879; application filed August 14, 1879.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, GEORGE W. NEILL, oBoston, in the county of Suii'olk and State ot' Massachusetts, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Upright-Piano-Forte Actions;and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the followingspecification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of

Figure l is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a vertical section, of apiano-action and its sus taining-frame with my improvements appliedthereto, they being duly enumerated and defined by the claimshereinafter presented.

In the said drawings, A denotes the metallic frame for supporting thedifferent wooden rails B, C, D, and E ot' the action. The upper of suchrails, which is the damper-check 'rail, is sustained by notchedstandards a c, eX-

tending up from the remainder ot' the frame, as shown. These standardsare recessed, as represented at b, to receive the said rail, which isheld in place by clamp-screws c c, arranged in the standards so as toscrew down upon the rail.

The fly-check rail D is similarly applied to the frame-viz., in recessese e made therein, as represented, and is held in place by setscrews d d.Either of the rails D or E, cushioned on its front edge, can be movedforward or backward to adjust it to its proper position.

The hammer-rest shown at F is applied or pivoted in the usual manner tothe frame so as to be capable of being swung forward toward the strings.The standards a a, by their arrangement, serve not only as supports forthe check-rail E, but as stops to arrest the hammer-rest F in itsforward movement, such movement being imparted to suoli rest by meansusually employed for the purpose.

The operative ily Gr of the hammer I make of metal, a front view ot' itbeing shown in Fig. 3. At its lower part it is furcated to straddle thefly-lever H, and to be connected therewith by a joint-pin, f, which goesthrough the said lever and the prongs g h of the tly. One ofthe saidprongs is extended below the joint-pin, so as to convert the fly into alever having a short arm, g, extending below the pin. To such arm andthe lever H a helical spring, t', is applied, it being arrangedalongside of the said lever and adapted to pull the extension or prong gbackward, so as to keep the liy up to the tail-block k ofthe hammer I.

From the tail-block a metallic arm, K, bent in manner as shown, isextended. This arm with its lacing forms the hammer-bumper, as itoperates with the back catch, L, ot' the hammer to estop-the hammerafter each blow ot' it on the string. The head m ot' the back catch, L,is ot' wood, and cushioned, as shown at a. The bearing-part ot'the arm Kis perforated to receive a lacing, o, ot' twine or cord, which extendsup and down the outer surface ot' the said bearing-Wirt in manner asrepresented in Fig. 4, which is a rear view ot the a-rm K. The lacing isto operate with the cushion ot' the back catch to prevent the arm fromslipping on the cushion, which would be liable to take place without thelacing' or an equivalent therefor applied to the arm.

The stem ot' the back catch, L, is shown at p, as composed ot' a pieceot' wire bent at an acute angle, as shown, and pivoted or hinged to therail O. The back-catch bearer q rest-s on the top ot' thetly-lever,which in this case is a metallic rod bent in manner as represented, andpivoted at or near its rear end to the rail B.

From the bearer a projection, i", extends upward and has a hole throughit to receive the stem p, upon whose lower part the projection slidesfreely and is provided with a set-screw, fr', to screw into it andagainst the stem. From the above it will be seen that the bearer, whileresting on the ily-lever, is adjustable on the stem p of the catch,whereby the proper adjustment of the catch to the arm K can be effected.

The ily-regulating button, shown at s, has its screw'stem t goingthrough the ily, but instead ot' it being screwed into the ily itself,as is usually the case in piano-actions wherein the fly is made of wood,it is screwed into a cushioning bushing or tube, u, ot clot-h insertedin the tly. In this case the stem becomes not only cushioned in the iiy,but is held to excellent advantage from accidental unscrewin g.

As the fly-lever is a single metallic rod, bent in manner asrepresented, it becomes neces sary to apply the raiser or push-rod M toit in a dili'erent manner from that usually practiced. This push-rodextends up from the key N, upony which it is stepped. At its upperl endthe push-rod has a cushion, c, xed on it, such cushion being held up tothe tlylever by a bridle, to, which is a cord that straddles the leverand push-rod and cushion, and at its ends is fixed to the push-rod. Thebridle thus suspends the push-rod from the lever and enables thepush-rod, in order for the key to be applied to or removed from it, tobe swung in any required direction.

Besides the bridle and cushion, there is to support the raiserinposition with the [ly-lever a pin, e', which, inserted through and fixedin said lever, extends into a hole, f, made in the raiser, such holehaving a diameter sufficiently larger than that ofthe pin to allow thenecessary swinging movements ot' the raiser.

The regulating-button .fr of the tly-lever has its screw-stein appliedto such lever by a tubular cusllioning bushing, y, of cloth `goingthrough and fixed in the lever, the stein being screwed into and throughthe bushing.

I am aware that tubular cloth bushings in pianoactions are employed invarious ways,

but I have not before my invention thereof known one to be used with thestem of a regulating-button screwed into and through such bushing.

The damper-lever z I make ns in a single piece of metallic wire pivotedto an arm, a', extending from the hammer-support rail Q. The dampershown at R is not movable relatively to its support piece or shank b',but is connected therewith by a screw, c, which goes through the damperand screws into the support-piece, the damper being capable of beingturned on the screw, so as and in order to adjust the damper to theinclination ofthe string, which cannot be effected when the damper andits shank arein one pieee or in separate pieces glued to each other.

The damper-shank has a hole through it to receive the lever z, and isprovided with a setscrew, d', arranged to screw against the lever andinto the shank, such being for further aiding in adjusting the damper tothe string.

Vhat I cla-ini as of my invention in the upright-piano action is asfollows, viz.:

l. lhe combination of the push-rod M with the ily-lever H, by meanssubstantially as described, namely, the cushion o, bridle w, and thevertical pin c', arranged and adapted as explained.

2. The combination of the back-catch rod or stem p pivoted to the railC, with the adjust able bearer q, applied to such rod or stem, and tothe iiy-lever H, substantially in manner as set forth.

3. The hammer-bumper as composed of the perforated metallic bent arm K,and a lacing, o, adapted thereto, as set forth.

4. rlhe cushioning screw-bushing u, in coinbination with the screw-steint ofthe regulating-button s, screwed therein, and with the iiy G, orpart for reception of such bushing.

5. The iiy G, extended below its pivot or fnlcruln, in combination withthe spring f1', arranged with and connected to the ily-lever H, and thedownward extension or part g of the iiy, as set forth.

(i. rlhe damper applied to its supportinghead, so as to be adjustablerelatively thereto, as and for the purpose set forth, and fixed inposition by the clanipscrcw c, suitably applied to it, in combinationwith such head adjustable on and lengthwise of the lever g, and providedwith a clamp-screw, d', to tix it to the said lever, all being'substantially as shown and described.

7. The frame A, provided with the recessed or notched standards a ct,adapted to supportI the damper-check rail and to serveas stops for themovable hammer-rest.

GEO. Ef. NEILL.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, W. W. LUN'r.

